An eight-year-old girl has died in a fire that broke out in a house located in Wewegedarawatta, Weligama.

According to the police, the fire had erupted inside one of the rooms in the house last night (Nov. 30).

As a result, the roof had collapsed onto the girl who was asleep in the room at the time of the incident. However, her grandmother and the 13-year-old sister who were sleeping in another room have managed to escape the fire.

Responding to the emergency situation, the Weligama Police had called the Matara Fire Brigade to douse the fire. The root cause of the fire is yet to be uncovered.

Inspections carried out so far have revealed that no damages were caused to the LP gas cylinder or the gas cooker. It was observed that the fatal incident is not linked to gas leakage, the police said.

A post-mortem examination on the deceased girl is expected to be conducted after the magistrate’s inquest.

Weligama Police is probing the incident further.